Sunday, September 25, 2005

My second favorite Canadian. . .

. . .guy named MacDonald, right behind Norm, has an article that raises a very valid point. Of course, I'm not naive enough to think that the people who were most critical of the federal response to Katrina will turn around and say, "Great job, Mr. President. It might not have been picture perfect in form, but functionally, it went better than anyone could have expected."

Loyalty has its limits. . .

. . .and on the matter of government spending, I've reached mine. As I was reading Mark Steyn's piece in todays Chicago Sun-Times, my neck began to get a little tired, and I experienced a bit of vertigo. Then, it occurred to me that this was the result of having sat for five minutes straight, emphatically nodding my head. And, I have to give credit to Andrew Sullivan (instead of the typical scorn) for hawking this point since well before John Kerry received the Democratic nomination.

I'm no defender of the administration on this point, but I have remained silent about it when I shouldn't have. Like many other Republicans, I've been quick to look the other way when the spending figures have come out, hoping that the President would once again defy the doomsayers and show up with a brilliant plan to reduce the debt while keeping the taxes low and reforming those areas of government involvement that are wasteful, corrupt, and generally counterproductive to economic health. That plan hasn't been tendered, and time is running out.

I work in a law office which, as one might suspect, tends to lean very Democrat. I've heard my share of swipes at President Bush, and Republicans in general, but have held my tongue in the interest of my prospects as an employee. But, even if I were the senior partner in the firm, I'd be unable to make the case that the GOP is the party of fiscal restraint. It would be one thing if the President had submitted spending proposals that drew howls of rebuke from the Republican majorities in both the House and Senate. Instead, all we get are spending bills laden with fiduciary idiocy (to put the best face on it).

And, to top it all off, Tom Delay unabashedly says to the American public that the budget is as fat-free as a bottle of Evian. Some have tried to make the case that he was "joking" -- to which I say, he needs to find something less serious to make jokes about. This is the future of our nation, and its survival depends on it. Get serious and do something creative and productive.

Now is the time for our leaders to call upon the American people to sacrifice. Since tax increases are a long-term economic negative, and in many cases cause decreases is government revenue, the sacrifice needs to come in the form of spending cuts, and (the apparently old, obsolete model), eliminating fraud, waste, and abuse. It's pretty clear that neither Republicans nor Democrats are willing to make the painful changes that are required. And, the sad thing is that there's no credible alternative. The Libertarians may think they are the answer to the question, but the grim fact of the matter is that sending even the most charismatic, qualified, and capable Libertarian to the White House would be to essentially throw raw chicken into a crocodile infested lake.

"Mr. President, do you truly believe that I ought to be able to walk out the front door of my home and buy black tar heroin from some guy standing on the sidewalk?"

"The Senate today approved a bill that seeks to close loopholes that could potentially be exploited by people who manufacture explosives in their homes for illegal purposes. However, Libertarian President Anne Arkie vows to veto the bill, citing that people should be free to manufacture explosives in their homes for any reason, provided that they don't use them for illegal purposes."

We can only hope that someone comes along who is willing to tackle the problem, and that the public has the guts to give him the job, and stand by him as he makes the tough decisions. We certainly don't seem to have anyone like that at the moment. Or, maybe we can keep hoping that the Bush Plan for Restoration of Budget Sanity will land on Capitol Hill with seismic force.